Absentee Ballot Process

There is no excuse required to use an absentee ballot in Arizona. Arizona allows the federal write-in absentee ballot (FWAB) to be used in a primary, general or special election where federal offices will be elected. In order to be eligible to use the FWAB, the county recorder must receive your request for a regular early ballot before 7:00 pm on Election Day and you must not have received that ballot.

A FWAB will not be counted if the application for the regular early ballot is received after 7:00 pm on Election Day or if your regular early ballot is received by the county recorder by 7:00 pm on Election Day.

Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Voter Foundation.

Campaign Finance Information

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For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

Candidate and Ballot Measure Information

Early Voting

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Early voting is available in Arizona. In-Person Early Voting begins 33 days before Election Day for the Primary and General Election, and ends at 5:00 pm on the Friday before Election Day. A voter may vote early in person at the County Recorder's office or on-site voting locations designated by the county recorder.

A voter may also vote early by mail. An elector may make a request by telephone, mail, or email to the County Recorder for an official early ballot beginning 93 days before an election. Early ballots are mailed to voters requesting an early mail-in ballot beginning 33 days before the Primary and General Elections. Early voting for the Presidential Preference Election begins 26 days before the election. The deadline for requesting an early ballot to be mailed is 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday before the election. If the request is oral (in person or by telephone), the requesting elector shall provide the date of birth and state or country of birth or other information that if compared to the voter registration information on file will confirm the identity of the elector. Requests in writing should include the voter's name and address as registered, birth date, election for which the ballot is requested, address where the ballot is to be mailed, and signature.The voter's signature on the early ballot affidavit is compared to the voter's signature on the voter's registration form.

Early ballots will be counted if returned to the County Recorder or other officer in charge of elections by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. County Recorders' offices will remain open until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day to accept early ballots. Early ballots may also be dropped off at any polling place in the voter's county of residence no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

Emergency early voting is permitted if an unforeseen circumstance occurs that would prevent an elector from voting at the polling place. Voters who encounter an emergency occurring after 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday before the election should contact their County Recorder for the procedure for emergency early voting.

ID Needed for Voter Registration

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The simplest form to use for your voter registration in Arizona is the Standard Federal Registration Form which requires those registering to vote to swear an oath that they’re American citizens. The Arizona State Registration form requires additional proof of citizenship that may create barriers and impose financial costs for potential citizen registrants. You can find the federal standardized form in English here and in Spanish here. For more language options go here.

If you register to vote using the Arizona State Registration form, the following will serve as proof of citizenship and no additional documents are needed:

An Arizona driver license or non-operating identification number issued after October 1, 1996: write the number in box 9 of the Arizona Voter Registration form

A Tribal Identification number (Bureau of Indian Affairs Card Number, Tribal Treaty Card Number, or Tribal Enrollment Number): write the number in box 10 of the Arizona Voter Registration form

The number from your certificate of naturalization: write the number in box 11 of the Arizona Voter Registration form

If you do not have the above information, you must attach proof of citizenship to the form. Only one acceptable form of proof is needed to register to vote. The following is a list of acceptable documents to establish your citizenship:

A legible photocopy of a birth certificate that verifies citizenship and supporting legal documentation (i.e. marriage certificate) if the name on the birth certificate is not the same as your current legal name

A legible photocopy of pertinent pages of a United States passport identifying the applicant

Presentation to the County Recorder of United States naturalization documents

Indian Census Number, Bureau of Indian Affairs Card Number, Tribal Treaty Card Number or Tribal Enrollment Number

A legible photocopy of a Tribal Certificate of Indian Blood or Tribal or Bureau of Indian Affairs Affidavit of Birth.

If you are registered in Arizona and use the registration form because you move within a county, change your name, or change your political party affiliation, you do not need to provide photocopies of proof of citizenship. You only need to provide proof of citizenship if you are a new resident in an Arizona county.

ID Needed for Voting?

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You will be required to show proof of identity at the polling place before receiving a ballot. You will announce your name and place of residence to the election official and present one form of identification that bears your name, address, and photograph or two different forms of identification that bear your name and address. An identification is valid unless it can be determined on its face that it has expired.

Acceptable forms of identification with photograph, name, and address:

Valid Arizona driver's license

Valid Arizona non-operating identification license

Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification

Valid U.S. federal, state, or local government issued ID

Acceptable forms of identification without a photograph that bear your name and address (two required):

Utility bill that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election. A utility bill may be for electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cellular phone, or cable television

Bank or credit union statement that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election

Valid Arizona Vehicle Registration

Indian census card

Property tax statement of your residence

Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification

Recorder's certificate

Valid U.S. federal, state, or local government issued ID, including a voter registration card issued by the county recorder

Any mailing to the elector marked "Official Election Material"

Other acceptable forms of identification are one identification with name and photo of the elector accompanied by one non-photo identification with name and address.

Any valid photo identification from List 1 in which the address does not reasonably match the precinct register accompanied by a non-photo identification from List 2 in which the address does reasonably match the precinct register

U.S. Passport without address and one valid item from List 2

U.S. Military identification without address and one valid item from List 2

An identification is valid unless it can be determined on its face that it has expired.

Overseas and Military Voters

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You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Poll Worker Information

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In order to be a poll worker in Arizona:

You must be registered to vote in Arizona (unless participating in student program)

You must be at least 16 years of age

You must be a U.S. Citizen

You must complete the required training

Students with citizenship who are 16 years or older may work with parental permission

Polling Place Locator

If you have any further questions about your polling place please contact your County Clerk.

Provisional Voting

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Provisional ballots are counted 10 business days after a General Election and 5 days for all other elections.

You will vote by provisional ballot if:

Your name is not on the registration list

The name and address on the registration list is not the same as the name and address on your ID

Your ID is not sufficient

You moved to a new precinct within the county

You changed your name

You were challenged as a qualified voter

You requested an early ballot but did not vote an early ballot

The voter is given a provisional voter receipt with information on how to verify the status of the voter's provisional ballot.

Provisions for Voters with Disabilities

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Citizens with disabilities should contact their local county recorder for information about polling place access, early voting, assistance at the polling place and all other election related procedures.

Verify Voter Registration

Voting Machines

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The voting systems used in Arizona are optical scan and DRE.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.

There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.

Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a touch screen, where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.

You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.

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